Blog

  • 2022 Annual Meeting, January 23, 2023 

    2022 Annual Meeting, January 23, 2023 

    January 2023 – News Brief

    The Board of Directors of the Arlington Land Trust invites you to join the 2022 Annual Meeting via Zoom on Monday, January 23, at 7 pm. We will elect Board members, hear a brief Treasurer’s report, and provide updates on the Mugar property and other local conservation projects.

    Our guest speaker this year is David Morgan, Arlington’s Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent. David joined the Department of Planning and Community Development in Fall 2021 and has worked closely with the Conservation Commission, Open Space Committee, and other town groups on land use issues. He is also the liaison with the Land Trust for oversight of the conservation restriction on the parks and woods at Arlington 360, the former Symmes property.

    David Morgan previously worked as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Fellow for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he investigated ecosystem-based climate change adaptation and policy, focusing on New England’s wetlands and coastal ecosystems. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College in Amherst and his Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University.

    At the Land Trust meeting, David will describe the Urban Ecology Framework he is coordinating with Tufts graduate students. This project will chart the Town’s progress on identified goals for ecological land management and set a timeline for accomplishing them. Researchers will identify gaps in current plans and suggest best practices. New information will be added to planning efforts in the form of a landscape ecological analysis using GIS to map the ecological integrity of existing lands and likely habitat patches and corridors. The Framework will guide further planning efforts, such as a biodiversity action plan.

    Please save the date and join the meeting using the link below.

    All are welcome to attend the meeting. Anyone who has made a general membership payment and/or contributed to an ALT special fund during the past year is considered a member and is eligible to vote. If you have not done so already, please renew your membership or make a contribution here.

    Thank you. We look forward to seeing you via Zoom on January 23.You can contact the Land Trust at info@arlingtonlandtrust.org.

    Join Zoom Meeting

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    Passcode: 311278
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  • 2022 Program – Urban Ecology Framework

    2022 Program – Urban Ecology Framework

    David Morgan, Arlington’s Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent, was the guest speaker at the 2022 Annual Meeting, held via Zoom on January 23, 2023. He described the Urban Ecology Framework he is coordinating with Tufts graduate students to chart the Town’s progress on identified goals for ecological land management and set a timeline for accomplishing them. He has provided a summary of the project, including maps and contact information.

    VIEW FINAL REPORT

  • Recent Actions on Proposed Development

    October 2022 — Mugar Update         

    Since the previous Mugar Update in January 2022, several legal actions have occurred regarding the proposed 40B development known as Thorndike Place, although no final decisions have been made. Following is a summary of recent actions and an update of the Land Trust’s involvement in the ongoing process.

    The Zoning Board of Appeals filed its decision and conditions on the project in November 2021, and in December two lawsuits were filed against the ZBA decision: 1) the developers of Thorndike Place, Arlington Land Realty LLC, filed a lawsuit with the Housing Appeals Committee; and 2) three abutters of the Mugar property filed a lawsuit in Middlesex County Superior Court. In April 2022, the developers terminated their appeal, which means the abutters’ case can move forward.

    Land Trust to Support Environmental Studies

    Attorney Daniel Hill, who has been hired by the Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands on behalf of the abutters, recently gave the ALT Board an update on their lawsuit. He explained that a primary goal of the case is to present evidence concerning environmental damage, flooding, and related hydrological and stormwater problems that could be caused by the development. Although the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the project with extensive conditions, the lawsuit argues that insufficient data and analyses of groundwater conditions were available at the time.

    Hill and several engineering and hydrological consultants are in the process of preparing the case and gathering such data. The ALT Board has agreed to underwrite some of the costs directly associated with these environmental studies. The analyses and reports will be available for the lawsuit and for the Conservation Commission and other Arlington officials to use in future planning for the Mugar property. Hill does not expect the court trial to begin until 2023 or 2024.

    Coalition Seeks to Protect Wetlands

    The Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands was established in response to the proposed development of the wetlands. The group is engaged in raising awareness about the proposed 40B Thorndike Place project and supporting the efforts of the abutters who have filed suit to prevent any development on the property.

    The Coalition has launched a Go Fund Me page to help raise funds to support their legal efforts. On Saturday, October 15, 1-5 pm, the Coalition will sponsor a Yard Sale and Fair on Parker Street as a neighborhood celebration and fundraiser.

    Arlington Land Trust continues to advocate for the permanent protection of the Mugar parcel as conservation land. The site is subject to regular and significant flooding, and is a critical stormwater buffer for the surrounding and downstream neighborhoods of East Arlington.

  • 2021 Annual Meeting, February 21, 2022  

    2021 Annual Meeting, February 21, 2022  

    February 2022 – News Brief

    The Board of Directors of the Arlington Land Trust invite you to join us for the 2021 Annual Meeting via Zoom on Monday, February 21, 2022 at 7 pm.

    This year we will hold a short meeting to remember our colleague Brian Rehrig, elect Board members, hear a brief Treasurer’s report, and provide updates on the 40B comprehensive permit process for Thorndike Place/Mugar property.

    Please save the date and join the meeting using the link below.

    All are welcome to attend the meeting. Anyone who has made a general membership payment and/or contributed to an ALT special fund during the past year is considered a member and is eligible to vote. If you have not done so already, please renew your membership or make a contribution here.

    Thank you. We look forward to seeing you on February 21.

    Join Zoom Meeting
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    Meeting ID: 845 6701 4662
    Passcode: 617755
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  • Remembering Brian Rehrig

    Remembering Brian Rehrig

    Brian Rehrig at an ALT Fun Day 2017
    Brian helps out with taking visitors to Elizabeth Island during Spy Pond Fun Day in September 2017. Among his many contributions, Brian was instrumental in organizing the Campaign to Protect Elizabeth Island and the Land Trust’s 2010 purchase of the island for conservation and public enjoyment.

    We are deeply saddened to report that Brian Rehrig passed away on January 21 after a long illness.

    Celebrating Brian Rehrig on April 10

    Brian was one of a small group who established the Land Trust in 1999 and he served as the treasurer and guiding light for more than 20 years. It is impossible to recount all the wisdom and expertise that he contributed to this organization, and to the promotion of land conservation and community service in Arlington and beyond. 

    Brian Rehrig
    Brian Rehrig

    We have lost a dear friend and advocate for open space preservation. Recently Brian focused tirelessly on efforts to protect the open space and wetlands on the Mugar property in East Arlington.

    The Rehrig family has suggested that donations in Brian’s memory be made to the Arlington Land Trust Mugar Protection Fund. Those wishing to make a memorial donation will find the fund on the Join/Donate page. 

    Brian’s obituary and other information are posted at rehrigs.com.